Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
century after migrating across the Chaco from the lands east of the Río Paraguay. It is be-
lieved that they might also have considered this an important ceremonial centre. The
Incas
arrived here around the same time and occupied the site, which served as an administrative
and military outpost at the easternmost fringes of their empire. They altered and embellished
the rock itself, suggesting that they too considered it a sacred site - though, like the Spanish,
they had a habit of appropriating the religious centres of conquered peoples as a means of
reinforcing their domination. Archeological evidence shows the Inca occupation occurred in
two distinct periods, suggesting the outpost may have been overrun and destroyed by Chiri-
guano raiders before being re-established. The site was then occupied by the
Spanish
and
their indigenous allies in the 1570s during their border war with the Chiriguanos, and even-
tually abandoned when the town of Samaipata was founded in the early seventeenth century.
The site
On a hilltop at just under 2000m above sea level, with commanding views of the surrounding
mountains and the valley below,
the rock
itself is a huge lump of reddish sandstone measur-
ing 160m long and up to 40m wide. Its entire surface has been sculpted and carved with all
manner of figurative and abstract designs, including pumas, serpents, birds, lines, steps and
niches.
Onthe
western end
oftherockyoucanstillmakeouttwocircularcarvings,2mindiameter,
ofpumasorjaguars,andoneofacoiledserpent.Beyondthisisaseriesofsquareindentations
and a low Inca wall with numerous niches, behind which are two long, parallel slots running
exactly west to east with zigzags down either side and in the centre: it's likely to have been
used for ritual libations of
chicha
or blood.
A path runs along the
south side
of the rock, which is carved with stone steps, platforms,
seats and niches of all shapes and sizes, including classic Inca trapezoids 2m high, all facing
duesouth:theseprobablyonceheldidolsandthemummifiedbodiesoflong-deadIncapriests
andofficials. Onyourright asyouwalk roundare the foundations ofseveral Inca stone build-
ings that may have housed priests and other attendants, and the remains of a small sixteenth-
century Spanish building. Walking round to the
north face
of the rock you'll find a low Inca
wall, five massive north-facing niches cut out of the rock face and a good view of the surface
of the rock, here carved with recesses and channels.
East of the rock
a path leads down to
the ruins of a building with commanding views of the valley below, then on to the founda-
tions of a classic Inca
cancha
(living compound), where archeologists have also found post
holes from wooden houses and ceramic fragments suggesting an earlier, possibly Chiriguano
occupation of the site.
From the rock's east end, a path runs downhill to the south, reaching a broad terrace. From
here, the path continues 200m to
La Chinkana
, a deep well that has inspired improbable
mythsofundergroundtunnelsleadingtofarawayIncasites.Returningtotheterraceandturn-
